Crimestoppers offers 10k reward to catch those responsible for architect Joanna Yeates' murder

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers has offered a reward of £10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the death of landscape architect Joanna Yeates.

Joanna Yeates' body was found in Longwood Lane, Bristol, by a couple out walking their dog on Christmas Day. Post mortem tests revealed that she was strangled.

4x4 sighting

Police are appealing for any information people may have about Miss Yeates' disapearance.  A 4x4 was seen near to where Miss Yeates' body was found in Failand, near Bristol, which may hold clues. 

Police now believe the landscape architect returned to her Clifton home safely on 17 December - the night she was last seen alive. Any information from those last hours or days could be vital, so if you have any information contact Crimestoppers anonymously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Facebook campaign

On 4 January, Avon and Somerset Police launched a campaign on Facebook encouraging people to come forward with information about Joanna Yeates' death. The campaign involves an advert being shown on the site that will allow people to contact the force's incident room via the social networking site.

£10,000 Crimestoppers reward

To give information anonymously about this or any other crime call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or fill out the untraceable online Giving Information Form. Remember though peeps, only information passed to Crimestoppers will be eligible to receive the £10,000 reward offered by the charity.

Reward offered for helping catch Withywood Park arsonists

In the crazy world of crime-fighting there have been too many times to mention when I've been left completely confused by the actions of criminals. This is certainly the case with a number of unsavoury characters in South Bristol who have taken it upon themselves to set fire to rubbish bins in a local park. 'What's the point?' I'm sure you're wondering.

In a two week period, 18 wheelie bins have been taken from outside and inside people's gardens into Withywood Park where they were set alight. The fires have damaged the surface of the children's play areas and a skate board area.

To help find the perpetrators, Westcountry Crimestoppers and a local residents' group have put up £100 for information on those committing the crimes.

if you have information about the arsonists who are causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and ruining the park for the families, children, dog-walkers and other local residents who use it daily you can do something about it!

Call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or go to the online Giving Information Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Not only will you be helping your community but you can also get a reward of £100 for information that leads to an arrest of any of those responsible. Don't let them get away with it...

Who is this man?

There are ups and downs of every job, including being a super hero. It's great being able to help solve crime, but some of the cases I hear about are horrible.

In May 2010, a young girl was sexually assaulted in Fleetwood, Lancashire. She was forced into a car by a man who then drove her to an area on Rossall Lane and assaulted her. Attacks on children chill me to the bone. It is disgusting that people attack other adults, let alone children and young people.

Lancashire Police are working hard to bring the culprit in this case to justice. The little girl’s attacker is said to have two or three badly broken or missing teeth on his upper jaw. It is also believed he was driving a dark green or turquoise car on the day of the attack.

As part of the inquiry, police are appealing for any information on a man seen at the ‘pitch and putt’ on Fleetwood promenade, close to the Marine Hall, early afternoon on Thursday 15 April. The man was carrying camera equipment and wearing black. Officers have stressed that this man could be entirely incident and may have been in the area for recreational purposes.

If you know anything about this crime then be sure to get in touch with either Lancashire Police, or if you want to pass on information anonymously, you can contact the charity Crimestoppers. You can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or pass on information online using the charity's secure online form.

Crimestoppes has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading the arrest and conviction of the person/persons responsible for this crime. Only information submitted through Crimestoppers will be eligible for the reward.





14 June 2010 - Update: A man has now been charged with this crime. Read more on the BBC News website.

Claudia Lawrence one year on - reward still available

Claudia Lawrence, a chef from York, was last seen a year ago today. Since her disappearance, Claudia's family have campaigned for information on whereabouts. Police are treating the case as one of suspected murder.

To mark one year since Claudia Lawrence's disappearance, North Yorkshire Police have made a video appealing for information on what happened to her.



I'm incredibly lucky that I've never known anyone who has gone missing or come to serious harm. I can only imagine how hard it must be for Claudia's family and friends to deal with the constant wondering and worry that comes with not knowing where someone you love is.

Someone, somewhere must know what happened to Claudia and it's time for that person to come forward.

Reward
Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance. Information must be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to qualify. All callers will remain anonymous and calls are not traced or recorded.

If you don't know what happened to Claudia but want to help, send the link of this blog post on to your loved ones and help us spread the word.

Lady with pram attacks bus driver - £10k reward for information

On the whole I think of myself as being quite a calm and level-headed person. That said, there are some things that really make my blood boil. One of these is violence.

Crimestoppers and the bus company, Arriva, have put up a £10,000 reward for information on a serious assault. A lady with a pram attacked a bus driver in north London. The bus driver was pulled from the bus by her hair and had her arm broken and her shoulder dislocated during the incident, which occurred on 31 October 2008 in Haringey.

To launch an unprovoked attack like this on another is despicable, let alone in front of a child.

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of the woman responsible for the assault will qualify for a £10,000 reward. Information must be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to be eligible. All calls are anonymous and no personal details of the caller will be taken.

If you know anything about this horrific assault, please get in contact with Crimestoppers today.

A bank robber stole my homework

There's been a fair few stories written on the I spy a crime blog lately about burglars and robberies that have been carried out by some very clumsy crooks. Here's another for you, this time about an alleged American bank robber who tried to dispose of evidence in a very a dog ate my homework kind of way.

John Ford was caught on police video chewing a piece of paper while he was handcuffed and in police custody. It is alleged he grabbed the paper in his mouth as police emptied his pockets. Police believe the piece of paper was the note he had just used to hold up a bank. I don't think destroying the note would have ruined the police's case against Ford - his car was found nearby containing a bag full of money and a bank dye pack that had recently exploded.

Bank robbery is a crime that I think is often misunderstood - it doesn't only damage the banks, it also affects people who work in banks and the communities banks are in. Crimestoppers has appealed for information about bank robberies in Greater Manchester previously. There is even a £100,000 reward available for information about bank robberies in the Greater Manchester region. Information must lead to an arrest and conviction to be eligible.

Maybe instead of robbing banks, would-be criminals would be better off keeping their ear to the ground and passing on information about other bank robbers!

Rewards and good old-fashioned crime-fighting

I must admit that the idea for the new website called Internet Eyes, that The Caped Crimestopper blogged so passionately about yesterday, left me feeling a little bit disturbed too.

I’m all for a good spot of community spirit and getting criminals out of our neighbourhoods, but the idea of signing-up to a website, having CCTV ‘streamed’ onto your computer and clicking to report suspected crimes sounds like a bit of a kerfuffle to me. Not to mention being unethical, tedious and bad for your eyes… I don’t know about you but my eyesight is not what it used to be. And it’s not just this blinking mask I have to wear either.

The idea of ‘winning’ £1,000 makes crime-fighting seem like a game, which it certainly is not. However, receiving money for solving crimes is not a new idea. The charity Crimestoppers pays cash rewards of up to £1,000 if the information someone gives to them leads to a criminal being arrested and charged.

Some people do want and need the reward money for passing on information about crime and in my opinion, that’s absolutely fine. If that’s what it takes to get criminals off our streets, then rewards should jolly well be paid out. But whereas Internet Eyes pays £1,000 for playing crime as a game and doesn’t even guarantee that criminals may not even be taken off the streets, Crimestoppers only pays cash rewards if criminals are arrested and charged.

What’s more, Crimestoppers have found that most people aren’t even motivated by money when they pass on information about crime. Only 2% of people who give information to the charity actually claim a reward. Now that’s what I call the genuine crime-fighting spirit!

Internet Eyes: When ‘I spy’ goes too far

I could not believe my bat-eyes when I saw a scheme in the news today appealing for people to play an online crime game, under the pretence of fighting crime.

‘Internet Eyes’ streams CCTV footage to anyone who signs up to the website and encourages them to spot and report crimes. These internet spies can receive a £1,000 prize for the part they play in reporting the so-called crimes they see.

Turning crime into a game? I am shocked. Fighting crime is not a game and the Internet Eyes website undermines the work others do, such as myself, to take criminals out of communities.

We will not save our communities from crime by sitting glued to our computer screens, waiting for a crime to take place. Or potentially accusing innocent members of the public from looking ‘suspicious’ and committing crimes they have not.

I for one will not be sitting at my computer, watching hours of CCTV footage, reporting incidents that may or may not be crimes taking place. With a dramatic swish of my cape I will turn my back on such a scheme and will instead encourage others to follow my example. Fight crime without revealing your identity. Online crime games are not for superheroes like us.